The Palestine papers | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers
More than 1,600 confidential Palestine papers recording Middle East peace talks with Israel and the US, leaked to al-Jazeera TV and shared with the Guardianen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Sun, 02 Aug 2015 21:05:33 GMT2015-08-02T21:05:33Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Water under the bridge: how the Oslo agreement robbed the Palestinianshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/on-the-middle-east/2013/feb/04/israel-palestinians-water-arafat-abbas
<strong>Ian Black</strong>: 'Cooperation' with Israel over West Bank water supplies helped consolidate illegal settlements and undermine the two-state solution, a new study shows.<p>Oslo, the landmark 1993 agreement between Israel and the PLO, has had a bad press for the latter part of its (nearly) 20-year life. The deal between Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin has turned out to be more about process than securing a viable peace. Over that period Israel has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank while the Islamist movement Hamas has taken control of the Gaza Strip and Israel has shifted to the right. Negotiations on a final accord have got nowhere slowly. Many believe that a two-state solution to the conflict is now no longer attainable.</p><p>Settlements are a wearily familiar issue. But <a href="http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=234&amp;Itemid=1">a new academic study</a> shows that what has been billed as bilateral &quot;cooperation&quot; over water resources is much more like domination — in which the Palestinians not only acquiesce in Israeli demands but effectively &quot;consent to their own colonization.&quot;</p><p>Swimming pools, well-watered lawns and large irrigated farms in Israeli settlements stand in stark contrast to Palestinian villages whose inhabitants struggle even to meet their essential domestic water needs. In parts of the West Bank Israeli settlers use up to 20 times more water than neighbouring Palestinians who survive on barely 20 litres of water per capita a day, the minimum amount recommended by the WHO for emergency situations response.</p><p>&quot;None of the parties emerge very well from these findings,&quot; Selby commented. &quot;Israel has been exploiting Palestinian desperation for improved water supplies. The Palestinian Authority has been pressured into consenting to its own colonization, and has not contested Israel's cynical tactics as forcefully as it might have done. And international donors have variously stood by or been complicit in activity which is contrary to international law, and contrary to their own policies on the peace process, and which has helped to undermine the possibility of a two state solution.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/on-the-middle-east/2013/feb/04/israel-palestinians-water-arafat-abbas">Continue reading...</a>Middle East and North AfricaIsraelPalestinian territoriesThe Palestine papersWaterMon, 04 Feb 2013 17:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/on-the-middle-east/2013/feb/04/israel-palestinians-water-arafat-abbasAbed Al Hashlamoun/EPAPalestinians fill water canisters from a well in the southern West Bank village of Yatta Photograph: Abed Al Hashlamoun/EPAIan Black2013-02-04T17:30:00ZOfcom's ruling on the Palestine papers offers hope to the Middle East | Clayton Swisherhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/10/ofcom-al-jazeera-palestine-papers
In vindicating al-Jazeera's publication of diplomatic documents, Ofcom is supporting truth-telling in a turbulent region<p>Nine months ago, when al-Jazeera and the Guardian jointly published <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/palestine-papers" title="">the Palestine papers</a>, revealing the scale of concessions secretly made by Palestinian negotiators in a decade of talks with Israeli leaders, we were accused of biased, agenda-driven coverage. As head of the investigative team that produced the papers, I was accused on live television by the chief Palestinian negotiator, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-plo-negotiator" title="">Saeb Erekat</a>, of being a CIA agent on a mission to destroy the chances of Palestinian statehood. Today Ofcom, which was asked by the PLO to investigate whether our coverage had been unfair to both it and to Erekat, <a href="http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/enforcement/broadcast-bulletins/obb191/obb191.pdf" title="Ofcom: Complaint by Dr Saeb Erakat on his own behalf and on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (page 53-71)">published a 19-page ruling</a> that unequivocally vindicates our coverage.</p><p>The Palestine papers represented the largest leak of diplomatic documents in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They included more than 1,600 files, including high-level meeting minutes, maps, security documents and assorted proposals. The PLO, which initially labelled them as &quot;forgeries&quot;, quickly acknowledged their authenticity.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/10/ofcom-al-jazeera-palestine-papers">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersAl-JazeeraThe GuardianNewspapers & magazinesOfcomMediaIsraelPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsMon, 10 Oct 2011 16:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/10/ofcom-al-jazeera-palestine-papersJacqueline Larma/APPalestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat had accused al-Jazeera of infringing the PLO's privacy by publishing leaked diplomatic documents in January 2011. Photograph: Jacqueline Larma/APJacqueline Larma/APPalestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat had accused al-Jazeera of infringing the PLO's privacy by publishing leaked diplomatic documents in January 2011. Photograph: Jacqueline Larma/APClayton Swisher2011-10-10T16:00:00ZWhy I blew the whistle about Palestine | Ziyad Clothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/14/blew-the-whistle-about-palestine
Israel's attack on Gaza and the disastrous 'peace talks' compelled me to leak what I knew<p>In Palestine, the time has come for national reconciliation. On the eve of the 63rd commemoration of the Nakba – the uprooting of Palestinians that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948 – this is a long-awaited and hopeful moment. Earlier this year the release by al-Jazeera and the Guardian of 1,600 documents related to the so-called peace process caused deep consternation among Palestinians and in the Arab world. Covering more than 10 years of talks (from 1999 to 2010) between Israel and the PLO, the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/palestine-papers" title="Palestine papers">Palestine papers</a> illustrated the tragic consequences of an inequitable and destructive political process which had been based on the assumption that the Palestinians could in effect negotiate their rights and achieve self-determination while enduring the hardship of the Israeli occupation.</p><p>My name has been circulated as one of the possible sources of these leaks. I would like to clarify here the extent of my involvement in these revelations and explain my motives. I have always acted in the best interest of the Palestinian people, in its entirety, and to the full extent of my capacity.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/14/blew-the-whistle-about-palestine">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersWorld newsPalestinian territoriesGazaIsraelMiddle East and North AfricaSat, 14 May 2011 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/14/blew-the-whistle-about-palestineZiyad Clot2011-05-14T05:00:00ZAl-Jazeera is&nbsp;helping to&nbsp;break the&nbsp;silence | Wadah Khanfarhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/aljazeera-break-silence-media-middle-east
In an era of transparency, the Middle East's fate can no longer be decided behind closed doors<p>It is almost a century since the state borders that today divide the Middle East were drawn up. The shape of the region was negotiated behind closed doors and imposed by colonial powers without consulting its people. The impact of those deals still haunts the region and, many would argue, plays a central role in its instability.</p><p>Some of the states that emerged from the carve-up later championed independence and social development, while others adopted a conservative stance. But almost without exception they maintained a monopoly on information and communication, underpinned by control and censorship of the media. For many years dissent, criticism or even limited exposure of what was going on behind closed doors was crushed with the argument that &quot;it is not the right time&quot; and &quot;we are in a development and liberation battle&quot;. Such dissent and transparency would, the powers-that-be insisted, only &quot;weaken unity and undermine the national interest&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/aljazeera-break-silence-media-middle-east">Continue reading...</a>Al-JazeeraThe Palestine papersMediaMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsMon, 07 Feb 2011 08:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/aljazeera-break-silence-media-middle-eastWadah Khanfar2011-02-07T08:30:00ZPalestinian negotiators must not take key decisions on our behalf | Haneen Zoabihttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/31/palestine-israel-status-not-negotiable
We Palestinians in Israel will not stand for our rights being given away by so-called representatives<p>Had the offer made by &quot;representatives&quot; of the Palestinian people to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/israel?INTCMP=SRCH" title="">Israel</a> during peace negotiations – revealed this week in the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/palestine-papers-expose-peace-concession" title="">Palestine papers</a> – been accepted, the resulting agreement would have been in conflict with international law. It would also have had a profound impact on all Palestinians: not only those under occupation or refugees in the diaspora, but also Palestinians like myself – the 1.2&nbsp;million of us who make up 18% of the population of Israel.</p><p>First, giving up the refugees' right of return – as was apparently accepted by the Palestinian negotiators – would mean giving up the demand for the reunification of Palestinian families divided by the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/22/israel-remove-nakba-from-textbooks" title=""><em>nakba</em></a>, our expulsion from Israel in 1948. At this time some Palestinians remained in Israel, while others were displaced. Israel has since refused to allow hundreds of divided families to be reunited.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/31/palestine-israel-status-not-negotiable">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersPalestinian territoriesWorld newsIsraelMiddle East and North AfricaMon, 31 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/31/palestine-israel-status-not-negotiableHaneen Zoabi2011-01-31T10:00:00ZEurope's failure on Middle East peace | Alastair Crookhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/30/europe-failure-middle-east-peace
Attempts to reconcile policy contradictions have prevented the EU from mounting an alternative foreign policy to that of the US<p>Many have questioned why the European Union failed to provide an independent view to that of the United States on Middle East policy during the last decade. It is not a simple question to answer. Partly, the EU failed to assert its voice because, at the beginning of the decade, it was scrambling to contain the impact of inflating US hubris, fuelled by the defeat of Saddam Hussein. Partly, it was also a simple reflection of most European politicians' dependency on Washington. But the release of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/story-behind-leaked-palestine-papers" title="Guardian: The story behind the Palestine papers">the Palestine Papers</a> provides another answer.</p><p>They show how Tony Blair in particular had so undercut the political space that there was effectively no room for it. In a secret policy switch in 2003, he tied the UK and EU security policy into a major American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-insurgency" title="wikipedia: counter-insurgency">counter-insurgency</a> (Coin) &quot;surge&quot; in Palestine.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/30/europe-failure-middle-east-peace">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersPalestinian territoriesEuropean UnionTony BlairMiddle East and North AfricaUS foreign policyWorld newsUS newsUK newsGeorge BushSun, 30 Jan 2011 13:10:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/30/europe-failure-middle-east-peaceAlastair Crooke2011-01-30T13:10:01ZWeek in review podcast: Leaks, sexism, and the end of meritocracyhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/audio/2011/jan/28/week-review-podcast-leaks-sexism-meritocracy
The panel analyse the future of diplomacy in a WikiLeaks world. Plus, the Sky Sports sexism row; and has meritocracy had its day? <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/audio/2011/jan/28/week-review-podcast-leaks-sexism-meritocracy">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersWikiLeaksAndy GrayRichard KeysSky SportsPoliticsFri, 28 Jan 2011 16:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/audio/2011/jan/28/week-review-podcast-leaks-sexism-meritocracyJohn Marshall/LFIAndy Gray and Richard Keys: off-the-record buffoonery. Photograph: John Marshall/LFIPresented by Jonathan Freedland and produced by Ben Green2011-01-28T16:48:00ZBlair says leak of Palestine papers 'destabilising' for peace processhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jan/28/tony-blair-palestine-papers-peace-process
Former prime minister, now Middle East peace envoy, says intention of leak 'was to be extremely damaging'<p>Tony Blair today accused those responsible for the leak of vast numbers of papers about talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis of wanting to seriously damage the peace process.</p><p>The former prime minister – now a Middle East peace envoy – said the release of the confidential documents prepared by Palestinian negotiators had been &quot;destablising&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jan/28/tony-blair-palestine-papers-peace-process">Continue reading...</a>Tony BlairPoliticsThe Palestine papersPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaIsraelEgyptWorld newsAfricaFri, 28 Jan 2011 11:57:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/jan/28/tony-blair-palestine-papers-peace-processVincent Kessler/ReutersTony Blair said the leak of the Palestine papers was 'destabilising' and had damaged the peace process. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/ReutersVincent Kessler/ReutersTony Blair said the leak of the Palestine papers was 'destabilising' and had damaged the peace process. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/ReutersAndrew Sparrow, senior political correspondent2011-01-28T11:57:14ZLetters: Opposition, intransigence and terrorism in the Middle Easthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/28/opposition-intransigence-terrorism-middle-east
<p>You publish a letter that I find shocking (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/critics-should-respect-my-decision?INTCMP=SRCH" title="26 January">26 January</a>), arguing that terrorism is a justified moral response to Israeli intransigence. I have spent long periods in Israel and the Palestinian territories, meeting leaders on both sides, and doing the same in Republican areas of Northern Ireland. My conclusion is that terrorism's audience is a domestic political one; it is designed to make militant a home population and render it fertile to the political ambitions of one party. It cannot be that it holds to a practical aim when that requires the abolition of the state of Israel or &quot;the removal of the British from Ireland&quot;.</p><p>Terrorism prolongs conflict and postpones resolution, as well as wasting innocent lives. The rowing back from the bloodshed is hard. Meanwhile, there is in Israel an articulate and motivated peace lobby. Who could argue that terrorism has not empowered the political right in that country and entrenched its divisions, weakening the case of those who argue for a settlement? There is neither a &quot;moral right&quot; nor a practical argument for terrorism in the modern world.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/28/opposition-intransigence-terrorism-middle-east">Continue reading...</a>IsraelMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsPalestinian territoriesThe Palestine papersFri, 28 Jan 2011 00:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/28/opposition-intransigence-terrorism-middle-eastGuardian Staff2011-01-28T00:05:00ZPalestinian ambassador to UK's office taken over by protestershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestinian-ambassador-uk-office-protesters
Palestinian students hold peaceful sit-in at Hammersmith office of general delegation to Britain over negotiations with Israel<p></p><p>The offices of the Palestinian ambassador to the UK have been occupied by a group of students who are demanding new Palestinian national council elections.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestinian-ambassador-uk-office-protesters">Continue reading...</a>Palestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsThe Palestine papersThu, 27 Jan 2011 17:44:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestinian-ambassador-uk-office-protestersSam Jones2011-01-27T17:44:05ZPalestine papers: Erekat asks US, UK and France for help to find leakerhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-erekat-leaker
Senior Palestinian negotiator says he wants ex-British spy, US journalist and French national to appear before inquiry<p>A senior Palestinian official today said he has asked the US, Britain and France to help bring three of their nationals for questioning about the huge leak of confidential documents relating to peace talks in the Middle East.</p><p>Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the three include a former British intelligence officer, a US employee of al-Jazeera TV and a French citizen. He said he is not accusing them of wrongdoing, but would like them to appear before an investigative committee.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-erekat-leaker">Continue reading...</a>Palestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsThe Palestine papersUS foreign policyUS newsFranceUK newsAl-JazeeraMediaHamasFatahGazaMahmoud AbbasSaeb ErekatEuropeThu, 27 Jan 2011 13:48:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-erekat-leakerEyad Baba/APEffigies with Israeli flags and images of Mahmoud Abbas are burned in a Hamas-led protest in Gaza. Photograph: Eyad Baba/APEyad Baba/APEffigies with Israeli flags of images of Mahmoud Abbas are burned in a Hamas-led protest in Gaza. Photograph: Eyad Baba/APAssociated Press in Ramallah2011-01-27T13:48:25ZGuardian Focus podcast: The Palestine Papershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2011/jan/27/focus-podcast-palestine-papers
After the release of confidential documents in the Middle East conflict, Guardian commentators examine what happens next for the region <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2011/jan/27/focus-podcast-palestine-papers">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersMiddle East peace talksThu, 27 Jan 2011 13:32:20 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2011/jan/27/focus-podcast-palestine-papersAwad Awad/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Palestine papers reveal the offer of concessions by Palestinian peace negotiators on areas such as the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount holy sites in Jerusalem. Photograph: Awad Awad/AFP/Getty ImagesPresented by Matt Wells and produced by Iain Chambers2011-01-27T13:32:20ZLetters: Palestine leak and the peace processhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-and-peace-process
<p>Jonathan Freedland's argument that openness is the best way to conduct the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation is misplaced (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/25/palestine-papers-taboo-broken" title="">A taboo has been broken. Now the arguments for peace can be open</a>, 26 January). The documents that have been leaked add very little to the public knowledge of the options that Palestinians and Israelis have been talking about for the last 17 years. Most of the proposals on settlements, Jerusalem, refugees and borders have been publicly available, as any reading of the Beilin-Abu Mazen plan of 1996 and the Clinton proposals of 2000-01 will show.</p><p>What these documents add is gossip and tittle-tattle between the negotiators. If every comment made by the negotiators is to be made public, then no negotiations can ever take place in a free atmosphere. Freedland has not grasped that the main reason for these disclosures is not openness, but an attempt to undermine the Palestinian leadership of Mahmoud Abbas and thus to destroy the basis for any peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-and-peace-process">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersWorld newsPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaIsraelMahmoud AbbasCondoleezza RiceThu, 27 Jan 2011 00:04:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/27/palestine-papers-and-peace-processGuardian Staff2011-01-27T00:04:01ZOnly authentic leaders can deliver a Middle East peace | Seumas Milnehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/authentic-leaders-middle-east-peace
This week's leaks have exposed the dangerous folly of US and British attempts to control and divide the Palestinians<p>It's a tragedy for the Palestinian people that at a time when their cause is the focus of greater global popular support than ever in their history, their own political movements to win their rights are in such debilitating disarray. That has been one of the clearest messages from the cache of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/palestine-papers-documents" title="">leaked documents al-Jazeera and the Guardian have published</a> over the past few days. It's not just the scale of one-sided concessions – from refugees to illegal settlements – offered by Palestinian negotiators and banked for free by their Israeli counterparts. The constant refrain of ingratiating desperation is in some ways more shocking. While Israel's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/palestine-papers-tzipi-livni-israel" title="">Tzipi Livni</a> rejects the offer to hand over vast chunks of Jerusalem as insufficient – adding &quot;but I really appreciate it&quot; – and Condi Rice muses over resettling Palestinian refugees in South America, the chief PLO negotiator, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/palestine-papers-saeb-erekat-palestinian" title="">Saeb Erekat</a>, is reduced to begging for a &quot;figleaf&quot;.</p><p>It's a study in the decay of what in Yasser Arafat's heyday was an authentic national liberation movement. Try to imagine the Vietnamese negotiators speaking in such a way at the Paris peace talks in the 70s – or the Algerian FLN in the 60s – and it's obvious how far the West Bank Palestinian leadership has drifted from its national moorings.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/authentic-leaders-middle-east-peace">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaIsraelHamasMahmoud AbbasUS foreign policyUS newsUK newsWorld newsWed, 26 Jan 2011 21:29:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/authentic-leaders-middle-east-peaceSeumas Milne2011-01-26T21:29:00ZPalestinian negotiator rejects claims of back door deals with Israelhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-plo-negotiator
PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says leaked documents show how passionately Palestinians want peace<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-are-a-distraction" title="">• Saeb Erekat: Papers are a distraction from the real issue</a><p>The PLO's chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has described the leak of confidential memos documenting a decade of Middle East peace talks as a &quot;slander campaign&quot; and insisted that no single concession will be agreed without a comprehensive agreement with Israel, whose colonisation of Palestinian land is the &quot;only constant&quot;.</p><p>Writing in today's Guardian, Erekat rebuffs <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/gaza-report-palestinian-authority-stalled" title="">accusations that he has been involved in &quot;backdoor dealings&quot; with Israel</a>, but fails to repeat his previous claim that the documents – obtained by Al-Jazeera TV and shared with the Guardian – are &quot;a pack of lies&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-plo-negotiator">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersWorld newsPalestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaSaeb ErekatIsraelWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-plo-negotiatorAmmar Awad/ReutersSaeb Erekat says the leaked papers show how far Palestinians are willing to go to reach a settlement. Photograph: Ammar Awad/ReutersAmmar Awad/ReutersSaeb Erekat says the leaked papers show how far Palestinians are willing to go to reach a settlement. Photograph: Ammar Awad/ReutersIan Black, Middle East editor2011-01-26T20:00:06ZGaza war report was stalled by Palestinian Authority on US requesthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/gaza-report-palestinian-authority-stalled
Papers reveal PA held up Goldstone report from UN security council and suggest Abbas was warned of 2008 invasion<p>Palestinian Authority leaders co-operated with US officials in a bid to postpone the reference of the Goldstone report into war crimes in Gaza to the UN security council, leaked papers reveal. The PA, who have denied they made the decision under US pressure, later reversed their decision.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/gaza-report-palestinian-authority-stalled">Continue reading...</a>GazaMiddle East and North AfricaPalestinian territoriesWorld newsWar crimesThe Palestine papersIsraelUS foreign policyGeorge MitchellMahmoud AbbasSaeb ErekatWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/gaza-report-palestinian-authority-stalledMahmud Hams/AFP/Getty ImagesSmoke from missile strikes billows from the Gaza Strip during Israel's offensive in 2008/2009. Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty ImagesSeumas Milne and Ian Black2011-01-26T20:00:04ZPalestinian distrust of Iran revealed in leaked papershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestinian-distrust-iran-leaked-papers
Mahmoud Abbas asked businessman to donate $50m to Mahmoud Ahamdinejad opponents, according to the documents<p>The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, tried to persuade a Palestinian businessman to contribute millions of dollars to a radio station for the Iranian opposition after the country's disputed presidential elections in 2009, according to leaked documents.</p><p>Abbas's move was cited by Saeb Erekat, the PLO's chief negotiator, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/palestine-papers-documents/4902" title="">in a meeting with the US Middle East envoy George Mitchell</a> as evidence of the Palestinian Authority's support for US strategic goals in the region, in particular its attempts to counter the influence of Iran, which finances the armed resistance movements Hamas and Hezbollah.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestinian-distrust-iran-leaked-papers">Continue reading...</a>Palestinian territoriesMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsThe Palestine papersIranUS foreign policyGeorge MitchellWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/26/palestinian-distrust-iran-leaked-papersMajdi Mohammed/APThe Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas convinced a businessman to fund a radio station for Iran's opposition, according to the PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat. Photograph: Majdi Mohammed/APMajdi Mohammed/APThe Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas convinced a businessman to fund a radio station for Iran's opposition, according to the PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat. Photograph: Majdi Mohammed/APIan Black and Seumas Milne2011-01-26T20:00:04ZThe Palestine papers are a distraction from the real issue | Saeb Erekathttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-are-a-distraction
We made no backroom deals, and negotiated in good faith. But Palestine had no partner for peace<p>The release of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/palestine-papers" title="Guardian: the Palestine papers">Palestinian documents</a> by <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/" title="Al Jazeera">al-Jazeera</a> reveals nothing new about the nature and content of negotiations. Rather, it constitutes an unambiguous slander campaign aimed at the Palestinian leadership at a time when we seek to take new measures in defence of the Palestinian cause.</p><p>We have been accused of making great concessions to Israel behind the back of the Palestinian people. Such allegations are groundless. For the past 19 years the Palestinian leadership has engaged in hard-fought but meaningful negotiations with Israel with the aim of achieving a permanent agreement based on two states on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as our capital and a just solution to the refugee issue based on international law and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_194" title="Wikipedia: United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194">United Nations Resolution 194</a>. These red lines have guided and shaped our discussions with Israel and at present with our American interlocutors.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-are-a-distraction">Continue reading...</a>The Palestine papersMiddle East peace talksPalestinian territoriesIsraelMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/palestine-papers-are-a-distractionAlaa Badarneh/EPAPalestinian children holding a poster of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and shouting slogans against the TV network Al Jazeera in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday. Photograph: Alaa Badarneh/EPAAlaa Badarneh/EPAPalestinian children holding a poster of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and shouting slogans against the TV network Al Jazeera in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday. Photograph: Alaa Badarneh/EPASaeb Erekat2011-01-26T20:00:02ZThe Palestine papers: 'We don't know where we are going'http://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/4902
The Palestinians' chief negotiator tells the Americans that despite 19 years of talks, the extremists are winning <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/4902">Continue reading...</a>Palestinian territoriesThe Palestine papersUS foreign policyMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/4902Guardian Staff2011-01-26T20:00:00ZThe Palestine papers: suicide attack goads Israeli negotiatorshttp://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/2312
How will you stop bombers, Livni demands at February 2008 meeting <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/2312">Continue reading...</a>IsraelThe Palestine papersMiddle East and North AfricaPalestinian territoriesWorld newsWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/palestine-papers-documents/2312Guardian Staff2011-01-26T20:00:00Z